![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Cast and crew of Film Club’s short film “And I’ll Do It Again” met for a table read of the screenplay during long lunch on March 5 in Graduate’s Grove.
Director and screenplay writer Sophie Pellet (10) introduced herself before welcoming everyone to production. After introductions from producer Ethan Guan (11), lead actor Iris Fu (12), director of photography Avayna Glass (11), boom operator Hannah Levanon (11) and assistant director Mendy Mao (10), the crew started reading out the screenplay together.
The short film revolves around a teenage boy named Max who gradually realizes how lonely he is. The film will be mostly silent, with Max’s emotional journey conveyed through strong body language. Iris, who will play Max, looks forward to exploring the facets of their character.
“The read through was fun and I enjoyed getting to know people,” Iris said. “Max is going through something, and it’s hard for me to empathize with him because I just don’t like him very much as a person. I have to do some work with getting to know [Max] and finding some motivations there.”
After her screenplay was selected for production on Nov. 27, Sophie began editing it and planning where to shoot. Film club also received video auditions until Jan. 27 and crew interest emails until Feb. 18.
Hannah, who applied to work backstage, appreciates the “fun experience” of operating technology behind the scenes, which is why she joined the crew. She finds that adjusting light and sound can go a long way towards clarifying actors’ emotions.
“Using photography and using certain effects can really help get the emotions across,” Hannah said. “It’s really magical to be able to work behind the scenes and be able to help out in such a way.”
Sophie enjoyed the passion of the crew and anticipates that shooting will begin in late March and take a few weeks. Editing will take a month before the film is ready for release.
“My favorite part was doing the table read, because the actors really started getting into it, and they actually started acting,” Sophie said. “It was just a fun time. Now we’re going to be figuring out the exact locations for some of our scenes. After that, we’re pretty much ready to roll.”
